Ethiopian scabbard with utility knife????
 

Run into this scabbard from an Ethiopian sword and a little tab sticking out at the throat got my curiosity. I pulled it and out came a very crude blade, about ten inches long. Utility knife to slice raw meat when eating? As far as I know Abyssinians had the habit of biting into a chunk of raw meat, hold it with their teeth, pull it with the left hand and slice it close to the lips with a knife. Or even with a sword, according to some paintings... Martin, have you ever seen anything like this? Has anyone? Any thoughts?

Please post a Photo of the sword too for the record!

The custom of biting a chunk of meat and cutting it with a quick slash of your utility knife just in front of your nose, as far as I have heard before, was associated with the Gauchos of southern Brazil/Argentina. They ate a lot of beef in the field. I have not previously heard it about Ethiopia. This of course doesn't mean it wasn't also observed there. Do you recall your source for this titbit of esoterica?

Scottish dirks, Khukuris, and European hunting swords/trusses, as well as some Japanese swords had small utility knives in the main weapon's scabbard. Usually for eating. The Japanese ones were more for marking a battlefield trophy as your own for presentation to your lord. This was traditionally the head of a
high ranking opponent.

The knife is interesting and a bit unusual, is it sharpened? If so, how far down from the tip? Gripping it must not be easy. I don't think I'd trust my nose to it eating like a gaucho.

[QUOTE=kronckew]Please post a Photo of the sword too for the record!

"Do you recall your source for this titbit of esoterica?"

I've heard of this too, I think it was first observed and reported by the Scottish explorer James Bruce ? Or perhaps it was in Alan Moorehead's book "The Blue Nile"...

The "knife" is not sharpened for the first 45 inches. The rest is still sharp, though badly corroded. Could not find (I'll keep looking) the old Ethiopian painting that I saw a while back. Only found this photo of an Inuit (Canadian Eskimo) boy.

Here is an old print found from the internet.

Cool, parallel developement I guess :).

Thanks for finding this great print.